In what resembles a caucus of the African Union, the World Boxing Council has appointed a range of African officials to oversee the December 6 fight between Siya Kuse and Beaven Sibanda for the WBC Silver strawweight championship at Emperors Palace.
In making the announcement, WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman’s office confirmed that Wycliff Merenda of Kenya will be the third man in the ring, while Peter Ngatane of South Africa will be the fight supervisor.
As excitement builds for the “Rivalry Reloaded” event, it was confirmed that the three judges will be Gloria Dera (Zimbabwe), Phamphile Ncapai (SA) and Francis Chirwa (Zambia).
The fighters can thus have no complaint, Kuse hailing from the Eastern Cape and Sibanda calling Zimbabwe home while he chases glory in South Africa.
Said Rodney Berman: “I’m delighted that the WBC saw fit to make these appointments, which endorses the quality of African officials and gives the event a true African feel.”